Today's thoughts.

1. Unsubscribe to "lifestyle blogs" i.e. blogs that make me want to spend. And subscribe to budgeting blogs, cooking cheap blogs, and health blogs (not health blogs that just secretly make you want to buy Lululemon and get lots of facials.)
2. Bring sweets to work.  I inevitably want them and this way it won't become an excuse to go to Starbucks. 
3. Come up with more excuses to visit HR. She keeps all the best candy on her desk.
4. You can overdose on green tea.  A few cups gives you the jitters just like coffee.

Meals eaten out since Tuesday: zero.

Feeling: Anxious, inspired, wanting to buy something cheap from Forever 21. 

Realizing: I like buying things, a lot.

With a looming (exciting, but scary) career change on the horizon, I have decided to create a challenge for myself.  A budget challenge. 

Since we can't really change our rent (for now) or much of our other spending (car payments, utilities, student loan payments, doggie day care), I decided to brainstorm about what we could control our spending on.  

Things I can control my spending on:

• food
• clothing (I can't remember the last time I spent much on clothing since the great spending spree of 2012 - aka wedding preparation).
• transportation (I can't remember the last time I took a cab actually)
• personal care.

Since we basically buy little to no clothing and are pretty good at taking the bus and I think everyone in my life enjoys my hair looking nice and the advantages of paying for therapy when I need it, the item that stood out the most was food.  Last week I probably bought 5 lattes (roughly 20 dollars), 5 lunches out (probably 30 dollars) and we probably ordered in 2-3 times.  I have a million excuses.  I am busy.  I am tired.  The dog takes too much time. But the bottom line is that I got totally spoiled eating what I want when I wanted it.  We used to order in even when we had plenty of food in the house.  Food would go bad while I would still buy lunch every day.  So no more.  

The budget challenge - 100 dollars per week on food for both Sam and I. 

How will it go down?  Well, I will spend 80 or so at Trader Joes once a week - probably on Sundays.  We will obviously bring our own lunches.  No more lattes.  No more grabbing groceries on the way home for a meal I want when I have food for a different meal.  And no more ordering in.  

The remaining 20 or so we can order pizza with - get an extra bottle of wine - etc. 

So the challenge begins Jan. 28th.  This week I will continue testing out new things and getting ready.

Wish us luck.